1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for packing elongated articles such as cucumbers or pickles, sliced into the form of spears, into a container with the sliced surfaces of the food material facing outwardly.
Elongated food material such as cucumbers and pickles are often packed in glass containers, i.e. jars, as spears which are obtained by slicing the material along its length into a plurality of sectors. Thus, for example, a pickle may be sliced into five sectors or spears. It is customary to position the spears of a plurality of pickles ajacent the wall of the jar in order to fill all available space adjacent to the wall. A demand has developed for packing spears of substantially large cucumbers or pickles, for example those of nearly two inches in diameter. Such large cucumbers or pickles are typically sliced in half, i.e. two spears. Accordingly, there has developed a need for an apparatus to pack spears resulting from such large cucumbers or pickles each of which has been sliced into two spears.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art machines for packing food material sliced into spears with their sliced surfaces facing outwardly are shown in the applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 3,468,098, which issued on Sept. 23, 1969 for "Spear Packing Apparatus" and in the applicant's U.S. Pat. No. Re. 27,852, which issued on Dec. 25, 1973 for "Spear Packing Apparatus". Briefly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,468,098 and U.S. Pat. No. Re. 27,852 show machines for packing cucumbers or pickles, each sliced into a plurality of spears, such as five spears.
The apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. Re. 27,852 includes a guide which extends into the upper portion of a jar adjacent the mouth thereof. The guide directs the spears sliced from one cucumber or pickle, for example five spears, to positions adjacent the wall of the jar. Since five spears only fill a portion of the jar adjacent the wall thereof, empty spaces remain between the spears. An actuator connected to each of the jar and the guide then simultaneously rotates the jar and the guide so that the spears of the next pickle to be packed can be placed in the empty spaces between the spears of the first pickle already packed in the jar.